Are Coachman caravans going downmarket?

InaD

just to let you know we took our van in on Monday this week and collected it today Friday 24 September.  We now have a coachman caravan of 2018 vintage with a PROPER robust Thetford toilet, The chaps at ALV have done a great job of changing it, so I’m sure you will be delightedly  when yours is done.

ALV managing director spoke to me an d asked why we decided to change the dometic for a thetford, so I explained the issues we all come to be frustrated with,  apparently they have a que of people who are doing the same.

good luck with yours, and to anyone thinking about doing the swap I would whole heartedly recommend you to do it...........

Hello Paul

Thanks very much for the update. I'm very pleased that the toilet has been replaced at last.

As it happens, we are taking ours in on Monday, and are also looking forward to also having a 2018 caravan with a proper toilet 😁 interesting that ALV' MD had a word with you, when OH spoke to Mike Wysocki initially, he also said there was a queue of people having the same done. It speaks volumes, yet Coachman won't admit to anything, although they changed back to Thetford in 2020.

Will let you know how we get on, thanks again for the update.

Paulfrompontefract

We picked our caravan up last Saturday, gone away in it today, so it'll get tested out! But even just trying to remove the cassette showed how much easier it is than the Dometic ever was.  The wheels are another part which look so much better and more robust, no more having to carry it because of flimsy wheels, which look like they could fall off just by looking at them.

As you said, they've done a great job, we're very pleased we've had it done.

"As you said, they've done a great job, we're very pleased we've had it done."

I'm pleased to hear that InaD - I'm always a bit nervous when I make a recommendation but the fact that both you and Paul are pleased shows that my confidence in ALV was justified. I was speaking to Mike a couple of weeks ago and they've had to put a hold on doing any more conversions for the time being because they are so busy! (Hint to me to keep my mouth shut!!)

It's now two years since they did ours and, despite the cost, it was the best decision I made because we have had trouble free experiences since then and they have put right what was spoiling an otherwise near perfect van. 

I just worry about the fact that we have a Dometic fridge/freezer but, at least, the cooker is a Thetford

they've had to put a hold on doing any more conversions for the time being because they are so busy!

Sounds like we're lucky to have had it done just in time 😁 very pleased about that. It speaks volumes though.

You're one better than us with the cooker, ours is a Dometic, as well as the fridge. So far all is well with those........

Just to update you all on my correspondence with Coachman regarding the dometic toilets.

Started by denying there was a problem at all, eventually said there were some issues with the dometic fitted in the 2018/19 vans, all sorted under warranty by dometic, strangely they had no record of the problems we have had!

Declined to contribute to our replacement costs for the thetford, no mention of “sorry” just condescending replies that didn’t answer any of the points I raised. 

Customer service at its lowest level.

I’ll not be buying another given this experience of customer service, let alone the other warranty issues we have had, 

Paul

Your experience with Coachman is not dissimilar to ours.  After the disaster where the dealer actually broke the Dometic toilet trying to remove the cassette, we too wrote to Coachman.  Like you, we received a very condescending reply; one of the things they told us that we shouldn't treat the Dometic toilet like a Thetford!  The rest was just waffle about it being replaced under warranty.  Basically, they didn't want to know.  The point we made about the fact that for the 2020 season they'd gone back to fitting Thetfords, which speaks volumes, wasn't even addressed at all.

But at least we've now got a working toilet.

On our recent trip we were next to another Coachman on one site; and heard from the owner that he's had 2 new Dometic toilets fitted in his, and still has problems.  We told him about having a Thetford fitted at ALV; but according to richarrdandros ALV have stopped taking on work on fitting newThetford toilets.

"We told him about having a Thetford fitted at ALV; but according to richarrdandros ALV have stopped taking on work on fitting new Thetford toilets."

I think the problem, InaD, is that thanks to me opening my big mouth they were inundated with requests to do the work, having gained a reputation as one of the few dealers who either had the experience or willingness to undertake the work.

On top of all their 'routine' work, they were becoming over-loaded and had to call a halt - but this might change in the future - who knows?

That's understandable, they must have had a big backlog after lockdown, and a toilet replacement takes a few days.

I for one am very glad you "opened your big mouth"  our dealer wouldn't entertain the job, and we're both very pleased we've had the work done.  It's been really good to go away without worrying whether the so-and-so cassette will get stuck again and also not having to carry it rather than wheel lt.

So thanks again from me and OH.

That’s interesting InaD, I advertised my dometic, had a call from a Coachman owner, not wanting to buy it for spares but to ask where we got it swapped and with which model thetford.  Just had a week in the van with out a(as you mentioned) worrying if the darned toilet would function properly.  

I cant believe that Coachman have buried their head in the sands and are completely blanking their loyal customers and not recognising the issue.... allegedly customer focussed, what a laugh, my view is they are no longer the van to aspire to owning, and we will certainly look elsewhere when it comes to replacing the van.  

Paul.